Which to use
“cale” and “cálice” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,719
- “cale” frequency rank
- #17,252
- “cálice” frequency rank
- 34971
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cale | cálice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | calço, cunha, escora, apoio | pequeno copo com pé, para licores ou bebidas fortes |
Where the eye mixes cale and cálice
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cale with cálice
A purely visual mix-up. cale (/kal/) and cálice (/ˈka.li.sɨ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cale is recorded at frequency rank #17,719, classified as anoun, pronounced /kal/. cálice is at rank #17,252, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈka.li.sɨ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 34971, this pair ranks #32,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cale vs cálice
Shared letters: cel. Private to "cale": a. Private to "cálice": iá.
"cale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cálice" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cale ← acle · cael · calle · ccale · clae
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cale" and "cálice" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "cale" or "cálice" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cálice" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #32,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cale" and "cálice" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cálice vs calvície". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #32,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.